Mary Doser
is my favorite jockey and when me and Jim decided to start up this website she
was the first jockey I contacted about an interview and she has the honor of
being the first female rider we interviewed for the page. I have been following
Mary ever since I saw her win 6 races on a card at Great Lakes Downs. Mary has
really been coming into her own since 1999 when she won the riding title at
Great Lakes as well as leading female jockey for wins in 1999. She also placed
in the top 3 in 2000 and 2001. I have met Mary four times and she is one of
the niciest jockeys I have ever met and I am proud to include this interview
with her on our page.

Mary Doser with Chris
at Great Lakes Downs

CF: WHERE
DID YOU GROW UP AND HOW WERE YOU AS A KID GROWING UP? ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS?

MARY:
I grew up in St. Anthony, Iowa and I grew up on a dairy farm. I was an outdoor
kid. Little tomboy. I have 3 brothers and 5 sisters.

CF: DID
YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN HORSES WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP AND WHAT DID YOU WANT
TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER?

MARY:
I always had an interest in horses cause we always had horses around when we
were rounding up our cattle. We were always saying that we were riding in the
Kentucky Derby so that was always a dream to be a jockey and riding in that
race. Well at least I had my wish come true or at least part of it.

CF: WHAT
EVENTS LED YOU TO BECOMING A JOCKEY?

MARY:
After graduating high school and working for a year I decided to go to Kentucky
on a bet with a high school friend who said I wouldnít and when I was there
the Keeneland meet was going on and an exercise ride for John Oxley did not
show up that morning and he asked me to get up on a horse in the shed row and
that is what kinda started the whole thing

CF: WHAT
DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU SAW YOUR 1ST HORSE RACE?

MARY:
I just remember I couldnít believe the power. I was standing close to the starting
gate when they broke and donít think anybody actually realizes the power there.
And then to actually to get on some and I wasnít getting on them on the race
track I was just getting on them in shed rows. When they play with the power
they have they can lift you right out of the saddle I was surprised by that.

CF: WHO
TAUGHT YOU HAD TO RIDE AND WERE THEY ANY JOCKEYS THAT YOU ADMIRED?

MARY:
Bill Shoemaker always caught my eye as a matter of fact he rode in a stakes
race the 1st day I was down there. Naturally you were in awe of him
and everything he had done. John Oxley helped me a lot and I also worked for
John Ford and his crew. At the time his crew helped me out a lot. They took
extra time to show me things to do with my hands. They were on me a lot about
the basics. To learn the basics and always remember those cause that would be
what would carry you, were the basics. Donít ever forget the basics they would
tell me. So those people helped me out a lot. I wish I could remember all their
names. I canít actually say it was trainers, as much as it was their helpers
that helped me. They were very good about helping me.

CHRIS: WAS
THEIR ANYBODY THAT TRIED TO DISCOURAGE YOU FROM BEING A JOCKEY AND WHAT DID
YOU PARENTS THINK OF THE IDEA?

MARY:
You always have people discouraging you. It is a competitive business and it
seems like if there is someone else around it is also in the same spectrum as
you, you are always going to get discouragement from them. But like I said I
always had a lot of people giving me support. My parents werenít too keen on
the idea I have to admit (laughs). As a matter of fact nobody in my family was
too keen on the idea. I t was a long time before any of my family came to watch
me ride. I bet I rode for 3 or 4 years before any of my family came to watch
me ride.

CHRIS: DO
YOU REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE 1ST HORSE YOU EVER RODE? WHAT TRACK
WAS IT?

MARY:
(Mary went and asked her agent Scott who didnít know) I do know it was at Churchill
Downs, but I would have to look it up and I donít have that information in front
of me right now. I do remember I got the horse out of the gate real good and
we led for like half the race, but I ended up finishing dead last.

CHRIS: BEING
A FEMALE RIDER IN A MALE DOMINATED SPORT DID YOU FIND IT TOUGH AT ALL TO GET
MOUNTS WHILE STARTING OUT AND DO YOU STILL FIND IT TOUGH NOW?

MARY:
Um not so much. Especially now. When I 1st started to ride and even
once in awhile now you will run into someone who believes it is a male game
and you really shouldnít be in it. But not nearly like the woman years ago and
I have to give them a lot of credit because that had to been a tough go for
the 1st woman riders. I canít imagine being in that spot. Cause I
know when I was learning to gallop you come across a lot of negativity
from the older trainers it was just a belief of theirs that this wasnít a womanís
sport. It still is much male dominated, but they take us a lot more seriously
now especially if you able to prove yourself.

CHRIS: WERE
AND WHEN DID YOU GET YOUR 1ST WIN? WHAT WERE YOUR FEELING LIKE GOING
INTO THE WINNERíS CIRCLE FOR THE 1ST TIME? DO YOU STILL GET THAT
SAME FEELING NOW?

MARY:
My 1st win was at River Downs (Ohio) I donít know I guess your mind
is at least mine was going a hundred miles an hour thinking your always going
to win and a lot of times you get beat. It was a great feeling to finally get
that 1st win out of the way. (laughs).
It was for somebody that was a friend of mine so that meant a lot also. I remember
it was around Halloween because I remember all the pumpkins were set up at River
Downs. I was riding this filly, Dondaís Future that her owner brought for a
buck. She ended up beating the boys that day. It doesnít matter how many races
you win. It doesnít matter if it is claiming race or a stakes race. At the time
you hit the wire there is just that rush knowing that you won the race you always
get it. You donít care if it is a cheap race or a stake race at that moment
you hot the wire it doesnít matter you might think about it differently afterwards.
At that exact moment when you hit the wire you get that rush you get.

CHRIS: WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE TRACKS YOU HAVE RIDDEN AT BESIDES GREAT LAKES DOWNS (MI) AND
TAMPA BAY DOWNS (FL)?

CHRIS: WHAT
WAS THE BIGGEST RACE YOU EVER RODE IN AND THE BIGGEST RACE YOU EVER WON?

MARY:
I guess the biggest race would have been at Keeneland in the Alphabouy. I hate
to say my horse broke down in that race, and the biggest race I won would have
the Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park and when I won it was $150,000. Now
itís a $200.000 race.

CHRIS: WHAT
IS YOUR FAVORITE RACE TRACK TO RIDE AT AND YOUR FAVORITE HORSE YOU EVER RODE?
WHAT TRACKS WOULD YOU LOVE TO SOME DAY RIDE AT?

MARY:
Favorite race track to ride would be Keeneland. It is wonderful to ride there.
It is always a thrill to win a race there. Schmoopy was a horse that was wonderful
to ride. (I saw Mary win about 6 races in a row with this horse at GLD. They
were all stake races and the horse was so good that each time it ran it kept
winning by more and more lengths. In fact it won its last race at GLD by 22
lengths. The trainer Richard Rettele shipped the horse to Turfway Park in 2000
and with Doser aboard the horse was in a stakes race and took a bad step and
injured its leg so bad it would not race again-Chris) We had a lot of success
with her. Another filly called Lawyer Talk, which I won that Gardenia with was
great. I had a great year with her. We went all around the country with her
and she was a very nice horse to ride. I have been to Saratoga (NY) but I never
got to ride there. I guess that would be wonderful to get a chance to ride there.
Just the prestige to ride there would have to be a thrill. Just like anywhere
else you would want to go there with a live horse. (a live horse is horse talk
for a horse with a shot to win not just some 50-1 shot-Chris)

CHRIS: WHAT
HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT SO FAR IN YOUR CAREER?

MARY:
There has been a lot. To name just one (pauses) I guess it would be not a particular
horse or race it has to be there is not a lot of loyalty in this business. That
has to be my biggest disappointment. There is not a guarantee of a mount ever.
So I guess my biggest disappointment is lack of loyalty.

CHRIS: I
KNOW YOU RODE AT THE DETROIT RACE COURSE BEFORE IT CLOSED. HOW WAS THE CLOSING
OF THE TRACK FOR YOU?

MARY:
I rode there the last 2 or 3 years that it was open. It really wasnít a big
deal to me cause I knew something else would open up elsewhere and I even had
the hopes that maybe that I could go back to the Kentucky circuit, but that
wasnít where my clientele was
going at the time. It was a great opening for me at Tampa Bay Downs where a
lot of the Michigan people went there and also here at Great Lakes Downs cause
a lot of people that I rode at Detroit came up here which was a huge plus for
me.

CHRIS: IN
1999 YOU WERE THE LEADING FEMALE RIDER IN THE USA. WAS THAT SURPRISING TO YOU
WHEN YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT IT AND HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT IT AROUND THE END OF
DECEMBER WHEN IT WAS REALITY THAT YOU HAD THE TITLE OF LEADING FEMALE RIDER?

MARY:
It was a surprise. I knew I was close to the top cause my agent kept track of
it. I have to give him a lot of credit for that. I donít really watch the stats,
but he was big on watching stats, trying to keep my percentage up and having
me ride better horses. Quality horses instead of a number of horses. I have
to give him a lot of credit for that.

CHRIS: ALSO
IN 1999 YOU WON THE GREAT LAKES DOWNS RIDING TITLE WHICH ISNíT EASY CAUSE IT
WAS A 132 DAY MEET. HOW WAS THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR CAREER FOR YOU?

MARY:
It was a big accomplishment. There was also a lot of mental strain when you
get to that. Cause there is always somebody wanting to knock you down. And being
a female I think I was wanting to get knocked down even more. There was a lot
of pressure there. It took away a lot of the fulfillment that you weigh out
of that. There was a lot of pressure.

CHRIS: WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE INJURIES YOU HAVE HAD OVER THE YEARS AND WHAT WAS THE WORST
ONE?

MARY:
I have had a broken nose 2 times, broken hand, broken fingers, broken both ankles,
I guess the most severe injury I ever had was a spill at Ellis Park in 1986
and that was when I had a injury to my back and to my spine. I was temporally
paralyzed for 48 hours from the waist down. It has had some lasting effects
on my back.

CHRIS: HOW
DO YOU PREPARE FOR A RACE?

MARY:
First of all I always go through what I am riding that day. You always try and
give every horse every physical shot it can to of winning the race. You just
donít go look at it and say, "oh this horse is in a tough spot". I
try and look at it and see who I can beat. Or how I can beat or if I canít win
the whole race how can I beat 5 or 6 horses. Or how can I make the horse run
to the best of his ability.

CHRIS: HOW
MUCH LONGER DO YOU THINK YOU WILL KEEP RIDING?

MARY:
Gosh one only knows baring injury. I would like to ride for a couple more years.
I know I am nearing the 1000 win mark. (only a handful of female riders have
passed the 1000 win mark which shows just how tough it is to win a 1000 races-Chris)
I would like to accomplish that. Like I said if I physically stay sound I canít
really answer that question now. I am in good health right now. Iím 40 years
old and I can ride for 3, 4 or 5 years. It just depends. Baring any injury I
can ride for a few more years.

CHRIS: DO
YOU GET BORED AT ALL RIDING OR ARE YOU STILL INTO IT 100%?

MARY:
You have to be into or you just couldnít do it. As far as getting bored I canít
say get bored. Sometimes you get discouraged on days when ride horses that donít
have a shot. Especially when you ride every race and you donít win a race that
gets very discouraging. I am lucky where I donít have that happen many days
in a row. That is very discouraging to any rider.

CHRIS: WHAT
DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HELP HORSE RACING? DO YOU THINK IT IS SLOTS
THAT NEED TO BE AT EVERY TRACK?

MARY:
Slots definitely help that is a proven point. It is hurting the ones that donít
have it. The other thing is and there is so many sides to it, but you have to
have somebody in it who manages well. Churchill Downs (KY) is one that is managed
well. They own so many of the tracks around anymore and they sink money like
I said management is a big part of it. Every track with slots the purses have
gone up and it is an inspiration to everybody. Of course the larger the purses
are the larger number of horses you get and the quality of horses you get also
improves. So slots is a big thing too.

CHRIS: HAVE
YOU EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH YOUR WEIGHT? EVER HAVE TO GO SWEAT OFF 4 POUNDS
JUST SO YOU COULD RIDE THAT DAY?

MARY:
I have been very fortunate. I am short and I do not have a problem and my metabolism
is great cause I eat like crazy. (Mary is 4 foot 11" and 108 pounds-Chris)
The only time I ever had to watch my weight was when I had the bug. Since then
I have been very fortunate. I feel for the people who have to perform 2 jobs.
They have to keep their weight down and perform their race track job and that
has to be tough.

CHRIS: DO
YOU EVER GET RECOGNIZED BY PEOPLE WHEN YOU ARE SAY IN MUSKEGON SHOPPING OR AT
THE MOVIES, ETC CAUSE MUSKEGON ISNíT SUCH A BIG TOWN?

MARY:
No I canít really say that I have. Once in awhile I may bump into somebody that
knows me. I am a pretty quiet person too. (Laughs)

CHRIS: ANY
LAST WORDS FOR THE RACING FANS AND A BIG THUMBS UP (Mary laughs loud as I say
thumbs up-Chris) FOR THE INTERVIEW MARY?

MARY:
Any publicity you can get only helps racing and help the riders. It is always
nice to meet the players out there and get support from them. Believe me the
riders hear a lot more from the fans walking by than they think they do. Those
little words of encouragement mean a lot to the rider. Especially riders when
they are having a bad day. Anybody who can give them a holler once in awhile
make them feel a lot better.